Spring winding tool



Jan. 16, 1945. WALTERS v i 2,367,320

SPRING WINDING TOOL Filed Jan. 28,1944

' 5 I I Aeonrd AK mafia/is INVENTOR longitudinally extending a aperture 9,

Patented Jan. 16, 1945. I

zsetszo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Q 2,367,320 SPRING WINDING r001.

Leonard N. Walters, Tulsa, Okla. Application January 28, 1944, Serial No. 520,083 1 Claim. (01. 140-124) The invention relates to spring winding tools of the type adapted to be held in the hand of an operator for feeding a wire to a rotatable mandrel and has for its object to provide the tool with means for frictionally feeding the wire, and with means for engaging the mandrel for spacing the spring c onvolutions a desired distance from each other as they are formed on the mandrel.

A further object is to provide the outer end of the tool with a longitudinally disposed spacing plate chamber, in which chamber diiferentj; size spacing plates may be received according to the desired spacing of the spring convolutions.

A further object is to provide a spacing plate having. its ends of different thickness so that the plate may be turned end for end for obtaining different spacings of the convolutions. v

A further object is to provide the tool with a yieldable clamping member having friction blocks therein between which the wire is fed and means for varying the frictional clamping of the wire according to the size of the wire fed for insuring the tight Winding of the convolutions around'the mandrel as the mandrel is rotated.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it'being-understo-od that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing. from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool, showing I the same in position against a mandrel in a eonventional form of drill press chuck.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the tool and a portion of the mandrel;

.Figure 3 is a perspective view of the convolution spacing plate.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the outer end of the tool. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the tool. Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates a conventional form of drill press chuck, in

which the mandrel 2 is held for rotation. Mam,

drel 2 is provided with a transverse aperture 3, in which aperture the end 4 of the spring wire 5 is placed for holding the wire so that the convolutions 6 will be formed around the mandrel 2 as the mandrel is rotated. A

The tool comprises a handle member l adapted to be gripped by the operator during the spring forming operation, and a head section 8, having a through which the wire 5 is fed to the mandrel below the convolution spacing plate ill. The plate H] is disposed in a longitudinally extending chamber H in thehead 8 and is clamped therein by means of a set screw E2, the lower end of the set screw engaging in the depression is in the plate ill for positively holding the plate in extended position as shown in Figure 1. Spacing plate ii! is thicker at one end than at the other, hence it can be turned end for end for obtaining diiferent convolution spacings, however both ends of the plate are provided with V-shaped notche i l for engaging oneside of the rotating mandrel during the spring forming operation, clearly shown in Figure l, thereby positively preventing side displacement of the tool.

The wire 5 extends rearwardly between fibre clamping blocks l5, located within the inverted U-shaped bracket H5. The fibre blocks are adapted to be clamped together adjustably for frictionally engaging the wire so that the convolutions 5 can be tightly formed around the mandrel. This is part cularly desirable where different size wire is used. The arms ll of the U- shaped bracket l6 extend downwardly on opposite sides of the tool and are provided with vertical elongated apertures l8, through which the guide pins l9 extend. Pins l9 are carried by the handle member 1. The transverse portion 20, of the clamp I6, is provided with a downwardly extending bolt 2| which passes through apertures of the fibre members l5 and through an aperture 22 in the handle member I and terminates in a thumb nut 23, Interposed between the washer 24 and the'handle member 7 is an expansion spring 25. It will be seen that the tension and frictional clamping on the wire 5 may be varied by adjusting the thumb nut 23, therefore thevoperator can readily vary the tension on the wire The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is:

A tool for feeding a wire to a rotatable mandrel for-forming springs, said tool comprising a I handle member, ahead carried by said handle member adapted to engage the mandrel and having a longitudinally extending aperture therethrough through which a wire is fed to the mandrel, frictional clamping means for the wire comprises an inverted U-shaped bracket arching the upper side of the handle member with its arms on opposite sides of the handle member, outwardly extending guide lugs carried by the handle memher and extending through vertically elongated apertures in the arms of the U-shaped clamping member, spaced wire engaging clamping blocks LEONARD N. WALTERS. 

